Certain musical instruments, for example, saxophones and bass clarinets are fairly heavy instruments which require great manual maneuverability on the part of the player to operate the valves of the instrument. Therefore, it is not possible to both support such instruments in the hands of the player and allow the necessary freedom of hand and finger movement. The prior art has provided a number of types of support for musical instruments such as saxophones, including apparatus for transferring the weight of the instrument from the neck of the user to the floor, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,766 to Linville, or to the knee of the player, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,932,800 to Myers. The use of these types of support apparatus severely restricts the mobility of the player, and is completely unusable in, for example, a marching band. The most commonly used prior art support device is the neck strap which places the weight of the instrument on the back of the player's neck, leaving the player a high degree of both manual and bodily mobility. The neck, however, is a relatively weak part of the body and a tener saxophone weighs between nine and ten pounds, and a barritone saxophone approximately twenty pounds. The support of such weights results in undue restriction of blood flow, strain on cervical vertebrae, related nerves and muscles causing substantial discomfort and fatigue when playing an instrument thus supported for an extended period of time, particularly if the playing of the instrument is accompanied by substantial movement of the player's body, such as in a marching band. An attempt has been made in the prior art to overcome the disadvantage of neck straps by providing a shoulder strap as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,863 to Haugen, et al. This apparatus takes the weight of the saxophone off the neck of the player but has the disadvantages of changing the position of the instrument from the familiar position, and of supporting the instrument asymmetrically from the player's body causing difficulty in carrying and manipulating the valves of the instrument. Additionally, some detrimental restriction of arm movement, is experienced with this type of shoulder strap.
The following examples of prior art listed and examined herein, although somewhat similar in appearance and form, were not designed specifically for the support of musical instruments, as is the intent of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,855,133 to H. E. Mullin differs from this invention in that the position of the harness and trip-hook is actually worn in reverse, combined with the fact that the attachment labeled plate 22 of FIG. 1 of Mullin's invention permanently fixes shoulder straps 14 and 16 to the rear section of body-encircling belt 18.
It should be noted that the present invention, as clearly shown in FIG. 4, does not employ this permanent attachment, since this would severely restrict the necessary mobility that is essential to the successful performance and purpose of this invention.
Similar restriction is inherent in U.S. Pat. No. 2,169,080 to R. K. Clark in that shoulder straps 14 and 14' of FIG. 1 shown in Clark's invention are limited from outwardly movement due to their permanent attachment to the front portion of the body encircling belt 22. This example also illustrates that the preferred method of a musician to freely hold the instrument in a forwardly extended position, accomplished by the present invention, is not possible utilizing the Clark invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,650,491 to J. F. Calvert is the least applicable to the present invention due to the fact of major differences in configuration; specifically, the belts utilized for attaching the vest to user hold the front section of the game carrier closely to the chest, thereby restricting movement in a similar fashion to Clark's and Mullin's inventions. More importantly, the looped game holders, if employed for the same purpose of this present invention, would cause an uneven weight distribution due to the asymmetrical bearing of the musical instrument when attached to said looped game holders, thus defeating the comfortable symmetry and adjustability appreciated by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,152,738 to J. E. Worsfold shows a camera carrying harness made of elastic bands, and is intended to secure said camera, or like object to the chest of the wearer in a protective manner. The resiliency of the elastic allows the wearer to bring the camera to eye level at a moments notice, without any timely adjustments being made.
The elasticity is essential to the proper function of the apparatus, however elastic bands have been experimented with in earlier prototypes of present invention, and have proven unsatisfactory when used with heavy instruments, such as a saxophone.
For example, if elastic bands were used to support a saxophone, the instrument would be held too tightly against the body, or would extend the elastic fully so that the resiliency would serve no useful purpose. Furthermore, Worsfold shows four separate connections to the camera, two on each side, and shows no means for adjusting the shoulder straps across back of the wearer. The present invention, however, supports an instrument at only one point in front of the wearer, and has the shoulder straps connected across the back for different sizes and proper weight distribution. These differences clearly show that Worsfold's invention cannot function in the manner that the present invention was designed for.
Other known devices for supporting the weight of a musical instrument from the body are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,763 to Friedman, and in Swedish Pat. No. 134,785 to Anderson. Friedmand's invention is an apparatus for supporting the weight of a banjo, consisting of a first strap means connected to 2 separate points at respective sides of the banjo, which encircle the waist and are connected behind the wearer at one point to 2 shoulder straps. Said shoulder straps extend from this one point over each shoulder to the front and are connected at one point to the top of the banjo. The weight distribution is divided between each shoulder and the waist. One important difference between the present invention and Friedman's, is that the banjo harness is connected to the instrument at 3 separate places, offering stability and restricting any forward motion of said instrument, whereas the present invention is connected to the saxophone at only one point, allowing freedom of movement of the instrument.
Another difference is that Friedman supports a fraction of the banjo weight on the waist or hips, whereas with the present invention the entire weight of the instrument is supported by the back and shoulders. As with Worsfold, Friedman also has no means for adjusting shoulder straps across the back of the wearer.
Since both shoulder straps are more or less parallel to each other, if, for example, a saxophone were connected to the one point in front, the outward motion of the instrument when playing would cause the said shoulder straps to pull together and rub along the sides of the neck. In the present invention, since the 2 shoulder straps are separated by a back belt and extend to one point over the shoulders to the saxophone, a triangle is formed, and this keeps the shoulder straps off the sides of the neck.
In Swedish Pat. No. 134,785, Anderson's accordion harness may appear similar to FIG. 3 of the present invention, however, functionally they are very different. The accordion harness was designed to support the weight of the instrument on the hips of the player while the shoulders held said instrument in an upright position. The fact that there is only one place on a saxophone in which to attach a support apparatus, it would be virtually impossible to support said saxophone from the hips.
Anderson's carrying device is attached to the accordion at 4 separate places, and is designed to keep the accordion in a stable position when playing. As stated before, contrary to this, the present invention connects to the instrument at only one point, allowing maximum freedom of movement of said instrument. Another feature of Anderson's is the hook and buckle assembly (4), which interconnects the 2 shoulder straps at the corners around the player's back at the waist, and the closer the corners are, the more weight is on the player's hips. In order for the device to function properly, the back connection cannot be placed anywhere else but at the corners, and when fastened it creates a body encircling belt of sorts, placing the weight of accordion on the hips, as is the purpose. If the buckle and hook assembly were place higher on the shoulder straps, the circumference of the strap around the player's hips would increase, and therefore more weight would be placed on the shoulders, defeating the purpose of the invention.
The present invention differs from this, in that it does not employ a body encircling belt. It does encircle the body, however, the circumference is greater than that of a complete circle. It was designed with the back strap substantially higher than the front strap to allow for chest expansion when breathing, and when the 2 shoulder straps are connected across the back, the back strap is centered with relation to the top of the shoulders and where the front strap extends around the wearer's chest, providing a stable, more comfortable fit. Note that the front strap of present invention is attached around the chest, just under the pectorals, and not around the waist or abdomen.
In summary, Worsfold, Friedman, and Anderson all have more than one attachment to the instrument being supported, in order to keep said instrument in a stable position. The present invention is attached to the instrument at only one point, which allows for maximum freedom of movement of said instrument, a necessary feature when playing the saxophone.
The present invention disclosed herein seeks to solve the limitation and problems herein above ascribed to prior art supports by providing a support which transfers the weight of the instrument symmetrically across the back and shoulders of the player without causing arm and finger movement restriction, neck strain or restriction in blood flow.
This invention has the added advantage of retaining the original favorable features of the neckstrap such as: the ability to be worn by both sexes, the convenience of use while in a sitting or standing position, or while marching and the general freedom of movement necessary in the manipulation of the instrument.